Sunrise
by blueSKIES247
Summary: Because let's face it, that's not how the story was supposed to end. An alternate ending for the delirious girl on fire, who refuses to be extinguished.


so, this is an alternate ending to _mockingjay_ because i absolutely hated the ending. after all the heroic things katniss has done, she's just going to let her murder of president coin go as an act of insanity and then go into months of a pathetic depression hell? uh, i don't think so. here's how the story should have ended, picking up after the execution scene.

also, katniss calls peeta "peets" in the story, just once, in passing. i hope that's socially acceptable.

* * *

sunrise

In the millisecond before I angle my bow up, changing the target from Snow to Coin, I hear Peeta take a small, barely audible gasp. Like he understood, in my fraction of a hesitation, I was about to do the unthinkable. And if I were to really calculate the difference in the time it would take for Peeta to reach out and stop me to the time it takes to shoot President Coin, then I might come to some startling conclusions, but I'm not from District 13 and I never calculate anything, really.

All I know is, when the guards are pulling me away and Peeta doesn't let me take the nightlock, a small part of my brain tells me he is on my side. Who am I kidding? He is always on my side.

They lock me in the old room at the Training Center. It only starts to feel like imprisonment when no one comes in to visit and food only mysteriously gets delivered when I'm in the shower. After two days, the unsettling feeling in the pit of my gut is growing and morphling withdrawal only accounts for part of it. It's only after another tray of food arrives when I finally realize what's so wrong about this entire situation. We fought this war for a better future, a nation without oppression, so what in the world are they doing imprisoning the Mockingjay? That was President Snow's old job, remember?

"I have to get out of here," I mutter to myself.

Once the statement comes out of my mouth, I am filled with so much conviction and determination, more than ever before. This is the _real_ rebellion, right here. Not the staged combat and glorified propaganda, not acting as President Coin's personal puppet, but challenging the rebel leaders themselves.

(They were right about my weakness after all. I can't take orders if my life depended on it. Which it kind of does.)

The next day, I turn on the shower, and then sprint to wait beside the door. As expected, the elevator opens and the guard enters, carrying my tray of food, as if he had been patiently waiting with his ear on the door for the sound of shower water running. I'm surprised they didn't think I would outsmart this system.

Before the guard can even set the tray down, I tackle him. The force catches him by surprise and he falls back onto the floor. I land on top of him and the food is a mess all around us. Then I realize it's not some guard at all, but Peeta Mallark.

"What's wrong with you?" he says coldly, pushing me off of him. He stretches his left arm and winces.

"Sorry." I stand up and offer him a hand, which he doesn't take. "I just needed to get out."

"I can't let you do that. President's orders."

"The president is dead. I killed her."

"Paylor is acting president until we can hold elections. They're currently holding your trial and you're pretty close to being pardoned for being mentally unstable so please, Katniss, don't do something stupid again."

"I didn't shoot Coin because I was mentally unstable," I am practically shouting. "You know that."

Peeta frowns and shakes his head, pleading me not to do this. Just like he did at the start of our first Hunger Games, when he knew I was going to disobey Haymitch and run towards the Cornucopia instead of the forest. But I didn't listen then, and I don't listen now. I step past Peeta into the elevator. He sighs, then slowly enters the elevator as well, because we both know full well he is incapable of ever changing my mind.

He leads me to where they're holding the trial and before the guards can get past the initial confusion of seeing me here, and not in my makeshift prison cell, I am shoving them aside and throwing open the doors. Peeta helplessly follows me inside, shaking his head apologetically at the guards.

I walk into the middle of Plutarch's argument, stressing how I was—there's the term again—"mentally unstable" and should not be held accountable for any actions of mistaken judgment. The courtroom is actually quite full of surviving rebels, awaiting the verdict of their precious, wayward Mockingjay.

"Plutarch, thank you for lying on my behalf," I interrupt, rather loudly, "but I am terribly sick of lies, so why don't we tell the truth for once?"

The entire courtroom turns to stare at my sudden, unexpected appearance. There's a few seconds of shocked silence because even now, still no one knows what to do with me.

Finally, the guards from the door catch up with me and begin hauling me away. "Soldier Katniss, you're not supposed to be here…"

Something triggers inside me and I struggle to fight them off. "I am so tired of being dragged away! I didn't ask to be your Mockingjay, I never wanted to start a revolution, all I ever wanted was to keep my family alive. But you all saw something in me during the Hunger Games, something worth fighting for, and you all made me the face of your stupid revolution and now you want to lock me up and throw me away? You made me your Mockingjay, so you listen to what this Mockingjay has to say!"

Okay, so on second thought, maybe the whole "mentally unstable" thing has merit because by the end of my rant, my voice raises two octaves above insanity. I'm the delirious girl on fire, refusing to be extinguished.

But to my surprise, Paylor rises from her seat at the head of the court. "Let her stay," she orders. "Let her speak."

Perhaps Paylor's the only one who figured out how to handle me: just let me be. I like Paylor.

I slowly walk up the aisle to where Plutarch and the others are standing. He gestures me towards the witness stand. Once I'm up there though, I'm not sure how to begin. I wish Peeta could be up here with me and put my feelings into words for me. He's good at that sort of thing. But Peeta has gone to sit besides Haymitch and I'm alone. I catch Gale's eye in the crowd of spectators and he smiles at me, encouragingly and slightly amused. I decide to take the Coin tactic and jump right into the matter.

"I shot President Coin and I knew what I was doing," I start. Immediately, Plutarch and Haymitch's eyes widen and they move to stop me, but once the words start they don't stop. "The hovercraft that dropped the bombs wasn't from the Capitol. It was the rebels…it was _us_ who killed the children and then killed everyone else who tried to help. It was a trap. And if you think about it, doesn't killing innocent children make us just as evil as the Capitol?"

The words hang in the air for minutes on end since no one wants to let it sink in. The rebels' consciences must know that what we've been doing is wrong, but maybe they couldn't face the truth. Unless these rebels truly believe killing Capitol citizens are justifiable just because of their status. If that is the case, then I really should never have joined this pointless war in the first place. Now here I am, force-feeding the truth that is too hard to swallow.

"President Coin and other rebel leaders were arresting innocent Capitol people. They wanted to kill off every remaining citizen from the Capitol. They had a vote on holding another Hunger Games with Capitol children. Thousands of lives have been lost in this war, and for what? We're right back where we started, except the population is diminished and the rest of us are all damaged and broken. This was all just a decoy rebellion so President Coin could seize power. We've been fighting the wrong enemy all along. That's why I killed her."

While I am speaking, I see Peeta whisper something to Haymitch and he disappears. When he reappears, there's a camera crew capturing my every word, broadcasting it live to every district no doubt. Good. Let them hear. Let them see me, without makeup, without my Mockingjay armor, without a director telling me what to say, without a leader telling me how to fight. This is my one last chance and I'm giving it all I have.

"I just think we've all suffered too much and we deserve better," I finish. My voice is now soft, worn out, and defeated. "That is all. You may continue with the trial and sentence me to whatever punishment you deem fit."

I walk silently back down the aisle. I don't even notice that Peeta has rejoined me until he lightly taps my arm. "Katniss, look."

I turn around and see Gale alone standing amongst the crowd, raising three fingers up. Annie, Beetee, and Haymitch immediately join him. Soon, one by one, everyone in court stands and holds up three fingers in appreciation. I am so emotionally exhausted that the tears pour out freely.

"See?" Peeta says. "_This_ is the effect you have on people."

And I can't help but hug him because it's my Peeta, the old Peeta, back at last.

* * *

Haymitch fetches me from my room a day later announcing that I am free. That comes as a shock to me since I was so certain they were going to kill me. Murdering the president is a high crime, or so I would assume.

"No one is going to kill the Mockingjay, obviously," Haymitch says with a knowing smile.

All I want to do is just go home and sleep and preferably never wake up, but Haymitch guides me back to the front of the presidential mansion that overlooks the streets, where I executed Coin instead of Snow. There are cameras everywhere and two large screens are set up on either side. Paylor, Plutarch, the other remaining victors, and Gale stand in a line facing the large audience that has gathered in front of the mansion. Haymitch and I quickly join them and then it begins.

The election of the new Panem president.

The large screens go through a continuous rotation showing live feed from the twelve districts. (There is no District 12, but District 13 is back in Panem.) Each district and the Capitol will nominate a chosen leader and the person with the most nominations becomes president. It's a fairer system than Panem has had in a long time, but it seems ineffective.

"But what if there are thirteen different nominees?" I ask Haymitch.

He, and everyone else in the line, laughs. I feel humiliated even though I don't know what's so funny.

"Oh, Katniss," Haymitch replies, "there won't be."

I am about to ask why he is so certain, when Ceasar Flickerman (I am oddly relieved to know that he survived) jumps out in front of us holding a microphone. He looks out of place with his blue hair and purple suit, but frankly we could all use some cheer and color right now.

"Hello, Panem!" Ceasar greets the crowd and the TV audience, "Welcome to the first ever presidential elections!"

There's only a half-hearted applause rather than the enthusiastic cheering Ceasar is probably used to in the Capitol, but we just fought a war so we'll all have to make do. Ceasar then explains how the election will work and instructs each district to make its nomination.

Based on the large screens, the districts seem to be having discussions, and District 7 even has a popular vote by a raise of hands. I turn to the others, wondering how the Capitol will make its nomination. Will the actual Captiol citizens (those who remain alive anyway) make the nomination or will the rebel leaders that have taken over cast the vote? Before I can open my mouth, Gale is already walking down the line shaking hands with the other victors and leaders. When he reaches me, wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead. He smiles and walks away towards Ceasar. Peeta doesn't even react to Gale's affectionate actions, so I know something is definitely going on.

"Alright, let's start with the Capitol's nomination and then the districts in numerical order," Ceasar announces. He hands the microphone to the overeager Gale.

He looks back at me one last time and then it hits me. I know who he's nominating. Of course I do.

"The Capitol nominates Katniss Everdeen." Gale speaks clearly, articulating every syllable.

The crowd erupts in cheers and Annie is hugging me but I remain still, staring at the large screen because no way will any other district be senseless enough to nominate the delirious girl on fire.

"District 1 nominates Katniss Everdeen."

"District 2 nominates Katniss Everdeen."

"District 3 nominates Katniss Everdeen."

One by one, each district flashes onto the screen to voice their nominations and each time it's my name. All the way down until Dalton appears on the screen and says with a small laugh, "And District 13 also nominates Katniss Everdeen."

"Well that does it then. Katniss Everdeen is officially the new president of Panem!" Ceasar's words are drowned out by the cheers and applause from all across Panem. Somehow I end up next to Ceasar and he's holding the microphone in my direction, wanting me to say a few words but I can't. I just fake a smile and wave and then dart back inside the mansion.

I run straight towards the closet, intent on hiding there forever, but two pairs of hands reach out and grab me before I can even open the door. It's Gale and Peeta and the whole situation would be ironically romantic-dramatic if it wasn't for the fact that I am losing my mind over being unanimously elected the new president.

"Katniss, you can't keep running away from everything!" Gale yells.

"Why did you nominate me?" I cry. "I don't want to be president. I'm not fit to be a president."

In my frustration, I pathetically hit Gale on the chest twice, just for good measure.

"Hit me all you want, but are you going to hit everyone else that voted for you too?" Gale asks, bemused.

I look back and forth between Gale and Peeta. My brain still can't comprehend why all the districts had chosen me.

"I don't get it," I say. "Ever since I stepped in that arena two years ago, thousands of people have died because of me. I started the war. And they still want me to lead them?"

"No, you really don't get it," Peeta agrees. "Thousands of people have died but thousands more have been saved because of you. You didn't start the war; you ended the war. And they don't just want you as leader, they _need_ you."

Outside, the world is awaiting renewed hope under my leadership. In here, Gale and Peeta stare down at me, both of them believing in me far more than I believe in myself. I am so out of my league.

"And what if I say no?" I challenge. "What if I decline being president?"

"Then you would be the most selfish person I know," Peeta snaps back.

"And let's face it, Katniss, you are the least selfish person we know," Gale adds.

* * *

_My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am twenty-two years old. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. And now I am president of Panem._

* * *

Suddenly, my life is full of presidential duties and meetings with officials and visiting each district to assess damages and creating new resource distribution systems and personally telling each and every citizen of Panem that things were indeed going to be okay.

And Peeta and Gale were right. They were all right.

Panem needs me. I may have lost Prim, but I can do everything in my power to make sure that no one else loses a sister (or any other lover one) ever again. I owe them that much.

After five years of being president, Panem is in considerably better shape. Each district continues harvesting the same crops and manufacturing the same products they always have, but this time the food and supplies get equally distributed among all the people, not hoarded within the cupboards of the Capitol while the poor in the district starve during winter. A monetary system is established to help with trade. The Capitol is transformed from a superfluous, leisurely city to a working government center. Everyone works, everyone helps, everyone survives.

And, of course, there are no more Hunger Games.

When the end of my fifth year of presidency comes, I shock the nation by announcing that I am resigning as president. Everyone quickly responds, begging me to stay, just one more year. But I'm horrible at taking orders, after all.

"Why are you doing this?" Paylor asks me the day they hold new elections. "Everyone loves you."

"But there's danger in holding power for too long," I answer. "And to be perfectly honest, I just want to go home."

Paylor laughs and when she gets elected the new president, I give her a hug and then board the next hovercraft out of the Capitol.

My mother and Gale have both settled in District 4 with Annie. In fact, just about everyone I know is in District 4 now: Johanna, Beetee, Dalton, Delly, Greasy Sae, Octavia, Venia, and Flavius, and most of the remaining people of District 12. District 12 did get rebuilt under my leadership, but it's too heartbreaking for most to return there after all that's happened.

So, naturally, I tell the pilot to fly to District 4.

But there are two important people that aren't part of the list of friends in District 4, and those two just might be enough to change my mind. Or perhaps my mind has already decided, had been decided right from the beginning all those years ago, and District 4 is just a stop on the road.

Either way, when I land in District 4 and walk into the middle of Gale and Delly's wedding celebration, I feel _relief._

My mother is ecstatic to see me again, and even though she flies to the Capitol once a year to visit me, we both still break down crying in each other's arms because Prim's death is something neither of us can ever get over. As for the rest of my friends, I haven't seen them in five years. Including Gale.

So when I approach him after the wedding, his eyes approximately quadruple in size and his jaw threatens to unhinge from his face.

"Katniss, I…I thought you…you're back," he stutters.

He opens his arms and I run into them, but his embrace is different. He no longer holds me tight against him like he's afraid he'll lose me. It's just an ordinary, friendly hug, like the ones we first exchanged in the Meadow, back before any of this romantic nonsense ever began. Gale Hawthorne, a married man.

"What are you doing here?" he asks in an incredulous and slightly worried voice.

"I resigned," I explain, "so I could go home."

Gale keeps his hand on my shoulder, as if he needs the physical contact to make sure that I am real. "Well, I have to say, you did quite a fine job repairing this place, President Catnip."

I laugh and hug him again because I've missed my best friend.

"So, you and Delly, huh? Did not see that coming." I smile and he blushes.

"I was going to wait for you. I had the crazy hope that maybe you would still pick me…" He trails off, staring at me with that same slightly worried suspicion in his eyes again. I know exactly what he is silently asking me.

I raise an eyebrow and give him a look back. He understands exactly what my answer is.

"Oh, good," he sighs. "For a second, I thought you had come here because you picked me over him. But you didn't. You're just here to say goodbye."

I nod. "I wish you and Delly the best. Take care of her, she's the sweetest person I know."

"It's not like I won't ever see you again, right?" he asks, a shy smile on his face.

I beam back. "Of course I'll see you again. I'll kill you if I never saw you again. I'm the ex-president of Panem, I can go anywhere and visit whoever I want."

Gale laughs and gives me one last kiss on the forehead. "Bye, Katniss."

"Bye, Gale."

I turn to leave, but after a few steps he calls me back again. "Wait. What if Peeta has another girl too? You've been gone for five years. I didn't think you were ever coming back."

Slowly, I turn back around to face Gale. "You said for a second, you thought I was here to stop the wedding and proclaim my love for you. What if I had? Would you have left Delly and run away with me?"

The long pause is answer enough.

I don't say anything, just shake my head and smile.

"But Peeta would," Gale points out. "And I guess that's the difference between us. That's why you chose him."

"That, and he's a better kisser." I stick my tongue out at Gale to tease him and he rolls his eyes. "I do love you, Gale. I never lied about that."

"You just love the bread boy more," he finishes my sentence.

Somewhere inside their new house, Delly calls out for Gale.

"You better not keep your wife waiting," I say, pushing him towards the door of his house. Gale winks suggestively and I wrinkle my nose but laugh nonetheless. "Have fun being married, old man."

* * *

On the bright side, when the hovercraft lands in District 12, there is no wedding, so that has to be a good sign. The few District 12 survivors that returned have settled in the Victor's Village, where there is more than enough room to house everyone. I nearly choke up just walking up to the village, seeing all the previously vacant houses lit up with life and laughter. Then I see the row of primroses lining the path to my house, the flowers a beautiful purple in the light of sunset, and I don't even try to contain the tears anymore.

The door to Peeta's house is ajar, so I push it open, walk in, and find Peeta and Haymitch eating dinner together. A second passes and neither of them reacts to my appearance. Gale's words from earlier haunt me in my mind. _What if Peeta has another girl too?_

What if I'm too late?

But then Peeta is up, carelessly throwing his chair aside, and tackling me with a hug. The force catches me by surprise and I fall back onto the floor. He lands on top of me, his blue eyes bright and every bit my Peeta. The hijacked version of him is now just a shadow in the corner of his being.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask, imitating the time, years ago, when I tackled him to the ground.

"You."

And then his lips are on mine and we're kissing, kissing, kissing. Haymitch coughs, awkwardly pats my head (while Peeta is still relentlessly kissing me) as a welcome back, and then leaves to give us some privacy.

Later, I press my palms against Peeta's chest and he pulls away, looking at me with a confused glance, like he can't understand why on earth I would ask him to stop. Chill, Peets, I just want to talk.

"You didn't join the others in District 4," I state.

He nods. He sits up and pulls me up with him.

"You left because you wanted me to choose Gale," I continue. "He's there, my mother's there, all my friends are there. You didn't really leave me any choice. Real or not real?"

I don't think he expected me to figure out his plan because he's speechless. "Real," he finally mutters.

"But _you_ are here," I say, "so I do have a choice."

(Except for the fact that Gale is married. But I can tell Peeta about that later.)

He stares at me in awe and he keeps his arms around me because like Gale, he needs the physical contact to make sure I am real.

"You're here. You're here because you love me. Real or not real?"

"Real."

His face breaks into the biggest smile I've ever seen.

* * *

epilogue

It's the 25th anniversary of the Mockingjay Revolution, as they've come to call it. All the old heroes are invited to the Capitol mansion for a celebratory feast. Each district provides entrees of their specialty so the dinner is a massive potluck of delectable all-Panem cuisine.

A boy with short dark hair, olive skin, and grey eyes wanders the rows of food. He stops at each plate only long enough before another plate further on catches his attention. Finally, he comes upon a tiered cake with the most beautiful frosting he's ever seen. It appears as if the cake itself is engulfed in flames.

"My daddy made that."

The boy turns around and finds a girl with long dark curls, ivory skin, and gentle blue eyes.

"The cake," the girl says, pointing to the fire-cake. "My daddy made that."

The boy looks back at the cake and suddenly the flames look all too real. "Is it…is it actually on fire?"

The girl raises an eyebrow and looks at him like he's the most stupid creature on the planet. "Of course not."

She walks up close to the table. Even on her tip-toes, the high table-top goes up to her chin. She raises a finger towards the cake and gives the boy a wicked smile. Right as her finger touches the frosting, the boy is afraid she'll burn herself, but nothing happens and he sighs in relief. The girl pulls her hand away, wiping some of the cake frosting onto her small finger and then furtively licks the frosting off. The boy follows her lead and also takes a swipe of the cake frosting.

By the time the girl's mother finds them under the table, the boy and the girl are both laughing hysterically about how the president might react if he gets the slice of the cake that had both their finger marks on the frosting. Only when the girl's mother takes her by the hand and leads her back to their table does the boy realize why the girl's mother looks so familiar. She's Katniss Everdeen, the first president after the Mockingjay Revolution. He's seen her picture in textbooks.

Throughout dinner, the boy can't stop looking at the girl two tables over. Eventually, his father notices.

"You know that girl over there?" his father asks.

The boy sits on his hands and shakes his head. He doesn't want to get in trouble for stealing the frosting.

His father sighs, then leans in closer to the boy and whispers, "I wanted to marry her mother."

Now the boy balks at his father. His father almost married the great Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay herself? "What happened?" the boy asks.

"She married the boy with the bread."

Later, when all the adults are making boring speeches with big words the boy can't understand, he sneaks away and finds the girl under the same table again. He hurries over and climbs in beside her. She has a large plate in front of her and an array of small cookies and cakes beside her, each with a different colored frosting. Strategically dipping her fingers in each of the colored frostings, she is finger-painting on the plate. And it's breathtaking.

"Is that the sunset?" the boy asks, taking in the brilliant hue of orange the girl mixed together.

"No," she replies, "it's the sunrise."

That's when the boy realizes that he is kind of in love with her.


End file.
